Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;Zanmudande&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Zanmudande’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with yellow ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower August 13 (week 33) blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BOTANICAL DESIGNATION

Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat.

CULTIVAR DENOMINATION

‘Zanmudande’

RELATED CULTIVARS

This new plant cultivar ‘Zanmudande’ is related to ‘Zanmutang’ (U.S. Plant patent application pending), a sibling from the same cross with parent plants.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat., commercially known as a garden mum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar denomination ‘Zanmudande’. ‘Zanmudande’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new cultivars with a double type inflorescence, a natural season flower date around August 13 (week 33), blooming for a period of 5 weeks. ‘Zanmudande’ is a seedling resulting from a cross of the female parent id 21570 with the male parent id 23262. Both parents are unpatented plants. Plants of the new cultivar ‘Zanmudande’ differ from plants of the female parent in the following characteristics. (1) Plant vigor and (2) Natural season flower date. (1). Plants of the seedling are more vigorous than plants of the female parent. (2) Plants of the seedling flower earlier in the season than plants of the female parent. Whileas plants of the new cultivar ‘Zanmudande’ differ from plants of the male parent in the following characteristics. (1) Plant vigour and (2) Natural season flower date. (1). Plants of the seedling are less vigorous than plants of the male parent. (2) Plants of the seedling flower earlier in the season than plants of the male parent.

The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Wilhelmus Bemardus Blom on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2005. The first act of asexual production of ‘Zanmudande’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings from the initial selection in 2005 were propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 23 in 2005. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 13 (week 33). The average height of the plants was 35 cm. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with yellow ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Zanmudande’ are ‘Mermaid Yellow’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,905) and ‘Zanmugolmine’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/926,548). When the three cultivars are being compared the following differences are noticed: (1) Inflorescence size. And (2) Color ray-florets. (1) The inflorescences of ‘Mermaid Yellow’ are larger than those of ‘Zanmudande’ and ‘Zanmugolmine’. (2) The ray florets are more dark yellow in ‘Zanmudande’ than in ‘Mermaid Yellow’ and ‘Zanmugolmine’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Zanmudande’ as a new and distinct variety.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 2001.

TABLE 1 Detailed Botanical Description Bud Size Small; cross-section 6 mm, height 6 mm Shape Round Texture Pubescent Outside Color Greyed-green 138A Phyllaries Number 18-20, arranged in 2 rows Shape Elliptic Apex Acute Base Truncate Margin Entire Color Upper surface: Green 137B Lower surface: Green 137D Length and width 5 mm; 3 mm Texture Pubescent Inflorescences Type Double Height 1.8-2 cm Diameter   5 cm Peduncle length   8-9 cm Peduncle color Green 137D Peduncle diameter 1.5 mm Peduncle texture Pubescent Number per branch Approx 5 inflorescences Duration of flowering 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate, Greyed-brown 199A, length 1.5 mm, diameter 0.5 mm Fragrance Faint chrysanthemum odor Color Center of inflorescences Immature stage: Yellow-orange 15A Mature stage: Yellow 13 A Color of upper surface of the ray- Yellow 12B florets Color of the lower surface of the Yellow 11B ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with yellow blooms Color of the ray-florets after aging Yellow 12C of the plant Ray florets Texture Upper and lower surface smooth Number 150-170 Shape Elliptic Apex Dentate Base Attenuate Cross-section Concave Longitudinal axis of majority Straight to Reflexing Length of corolla tube 3 mm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 1.2-2 cm Ray-floret width   6-8 mm Ratio length/width Medium Disc florets Absent Receptacle Color Green 138D Shape Conical raised Height 3 mm Diameter 4 mm Reproductive Organs Androecium Absent Gynoecium Present on ray florets Style color Yellow-green 154C Style Length 3 mm Stigma color Yellow 7A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovary Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a spray type pot mum, outdoor raised and mounded Growth habit Spherical shape Growth rate High Height 35 cm Width 50 cm Stem Color Greyed-brown 199A Stem Strength Medium Stem Brittleness Brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Not observed Internode length 3-4 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 22 to 25 cm Lateral branch color Green 137 C Lateral branch, attachment Medium strength Lateral branch diameter  2 mm Branching (average number of Prolific with 7-8 breaks after pinching lateral branches) Natural season blooming date August 13 (week 33) Foliage Leaf color Upper side: Green 138A Lower side: Green 138B Color midvein Upper side: Yellow-green 147D Lower side: Yellow-green 148D Size Small; length 3.5-5 cm, width 2.4-3 cm Quantity (number per lateral  20-22 branch) Shape Elliptic Texture upper side Sparsely pubescent Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Between Rounded Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Lateral Diverging Lobes Shape of Base Attenuate Apex Mucronulate Petiole length 0.6-1 cm Petiole diameter 2 mm Petiole color Yellow-green 147D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison varieties ‘Zanmudande’ ‘Mermaid Yellow’ ‘Zanmugolmine’ Inflorescence size 5 cm 5-7 cm 5 cm Color upper surface Yellow 12B Yellow 8B Yellow 8A ray florets 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct chrysanthemum plant named ‘Zanmudande’ as described and illustrated. 